Is it difficult for the Thunder to defend their title? Perhaps their toughest rival remains the Nuggets.

Over the past eight years, the NBA has seen eight different champions. In the 2025-26 season, the Thunder will likely face a tough challenge in defending their title. Who stands as their most formidable opponent on this path? The answer might still be the same as this year: the Denver Nuggets. Recent championship odds also seem to back this view, with the Nuggets' odds rising to the second-best in the league, just behind the Thunder.

A week ago, Denver Nuggets executive Jonathan Wallace stated that the team’s progress was "going smoother than it appears on the surface." He told reporters that the team must act "cautiously" during the offseason, but since they have some of the world’s best players and an elite starting five, their main focus is on strengthening the bench depth.

Wallace said, “Honestly, now we just need to add a few more players to give our starters some rest.”

Within 24 hours of the free agency period opening, the Nuggets achieved this goal. The team completed a major trade, sending Michael Porter Jr. (along with an unprotected 2032 first-round pick) to the Nets in exchange for Cameron Johnson. Afterwards, the Nuggets added three veteran players to their bench: Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valančiūnas.

28-year-old Brown played a key role in the Nuggets’ 2023 championship run but left during that offseason when the Indiana Pacers offered him a two-year $45 million contract. According to The Athletic, Brown has now returned on a one-year veteran minimum deal, and the Nuggets don’t have to worry about fit. When Murray is off the court, Brown can handle point guard duties and knows well how to play alongside Murray and Jokic. His cuts, defense (sometimes guarding much bigger players), and pure energy have shifted games for the Nuggets in the playoffs.

According to The Denver Post, 33-year-old Hardaway also joined on a minimum salary. While his defense is not as strong as Brown’s, this signing might be more meaningful given the Nuggets’ specific needs. At the pre-draft press conference, Wallace mentioned that the Nuggets must “make sure to find more shooters.” This need has been obvious, especially in the second round of the playoffs against the Thunder, where the Thunder almost openly encouraged the Nuggets’ role players to shoot threes. Despite the Nuggets’ three-point shooting percentage being only 31.5%, they still managed to push the eventual champions to a Game 7, which is an impressive feat in itself.

Hardaway’s three-point shooting has fluctuated: over the past six seasons, his cumulative three-point percentage is 37.4%, with a single-season low of 33.6% and a high of 39.8%. Regardless of his shooting form, he never shies away from taking shots.Last season, the Nuggets ranked last in the league in three-point shot attempts.Besides Jokic, Murray, and Porter, backup guard P.J. Dozier was the only player on the team to attempt at least six three-pointers per 100 possessions while shooting at least 35%. Hardaway’s three-point attempts per 100 possessions were 10.1, the lowest frequency since the 2016-17 season. Johnson, Brown, and Hardaway will likely thrive playing alongside Jokic.

On the other hand, 33-year-old Valančiūnas will help stabilize the team when Jokic is off the court. He is clearly an upgrade over Saric — the Nuggets traded Saric to the Kings to acquire Valančiūnas. It will be exciting to see him battle for offensive rebounds and physically contend with opposing backup big men inside. If Holmes (a rookie who has yet to play in the NBA after a summer league Achilles tear) proves worthy of a rotation spot, Valančiūnas might become somewhat redundant, but that is certainly a "good problem" to have.

According to salary websites, the Nuggets currently have 14 players under contract, slightly exceeding the luxury tax threshold. Through the Porter-Johnson trade, the team gained a $16.8 million trade exception but may not make further moves at this time. If that’s the case, the revamped Nuggets front office has successfully strengthened the roster while resolving salary issues. After all, if this was easy, they would have done it last summer.